BREAKING NEWS: Gov. Tom Wolf reinstates moratorium on further gas leasing of public lands
Great news for Pennsylvania's state forests and state parks.

In a ceremony at Benjamin Rush State Park in Philadelphia this morning, Governor Wolf reinstated a moratorium on further gas leasing of public lands. The executive order would supersede an executive order signed by former Gov. Tom Corbett last year that overturned a previous ban on further drilling of public lands.

We are pleased to see Gov. Wolf move quickly to protect our state parks and forests from natural gas drilling. These lands are held in the public trust as provided by Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania constitution, and are places where our families gather and play. The governor has wisely chosen to protect the people of Pennsylvania over the profits of drillers.

With the help of PennFuture members and thousands of Pennsylvanians across the state, we kept the pressure on Harrisburg -- and your voices were heard.

The citizens of the Commonwealth have long valued the special places that our award-winning state parks and state forest represent. Gov. Wolf's action today will help preserve those places as it promotes public health.

Andrew Sharp is PennFuture's director of outreach and is based in Philadelphia.

The Susquehanna River Basin Compact requires the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) to annually adopt a Water Resources Program to implement various goals and actions identified in the Comprehensive Plan. The current Comprehensive Plan was approved by the Commission at its December 12, 2013 business meeting and can be accessed at http://www.srbc.net/planning/comprehensiveplan.htm. The Water Resources Program is to consist of projects and facilities which the SRBC and other authorized governmental and private agencies, organizations, and persons plan to undertake to help meet water resources needs in the Susquehanna River Basin.

Accordingly, SRBC is currently seeking input for the Water Resources Program for Fiscal Years 2016 - 2017, which runs from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2017. Specifically, SRBC is seeking to catalog water projects, facilities, programs, plans, etc. that are proposed to be initiated or completed within this two-year timeframe. For reference, internal and external input that was provided for the FY 2015 - 2016 Water Resources Program can be accessed at http://www.srbc.net/planning/assets/documents/2015-2016_WRP_20140606.pdf. The current input response form, which includes instructions for completing and submitting responses, can be downloaded at http://www.srbc.net/planning/water-resources-program.htm. All responses are due by March 6, 2015.

Thank you in advance for your interest in the SRBC and for your consideration in providing input to the FY 2016 – 2017 Water Resources Program. If you have any questions, or require additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Director’s Decision Friday rejecting an appeal by environmental watchdog groups to suspend operations at the nearly two dozen reactors in the United States that have the same containment system as the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan.

January is National Radon Action Month, marking a time of increased public awareness for this serious health hazard.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally through the breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks. It can seep into homes through cracks in basements and foundations, and can build up inside to concentrations many times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recommended level of 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/L).

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, causing about 20,000 lung-cancer deaths in the United States every year. About 40 percent of Pennsylvania homes have radon levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of four picocuries per liter. While radon problems may be more common in some regions, the potential exists for any home in Pennsylvania to have high radon levels.

Stephen G. Burns, a 33-year-veteran of the agency and an NRC Commissioner since November, has been designated as Chairman by President Barack Obama effective Jan. 1, 2015. Burns replaces outgoing Chairman Allison Macfarlane, who is stepping down to take a position at George Washington University.

“I am pleased to have been selected to serve as the NRC’s next Chairman. It is a great honor to lead the agency to which I dedicated most of my professional career,” Burns said. “I extend my thanks to Dr. Macfarlane for her service and wish her success in her new position. I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners, the NRC staff and our stakeholders in carrying out the NRC's important mission.”

Attached is The NRC’s Emergency Preparedness & Response News, Volume 6 Issue IV, a quarterly newsletter that is published by the Division of Preparedness and Response to highlight recent and upcoming events of interest to the radiological emergency preparedness community. Feel free to pass it on to others. Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either Jonathan Fiske at 301-287-9228 or myself at 301-287-3774.